The United States currently has all the attention of the sporting world. With the FIFA World Cup 2026 being hosted across North America, all eyes are posted there. Cricket is hoping to ride that wave too.
Major League Cricket (MLC) returns for its fourth season, bringing some of the biggest names in the sport across six franchises. The tournament has grown since its launch in 2023 and arrives at a crucial time, with cricket set to make its Olympic return at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 as well.
For Indian fans, there is an added reason to tune in. Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be seen in competitive T20 action for the first time since retiring from international cricket. The veteran off-spinner has joined the San Francisco Unicorns and is one of the headline attractions of the season.
What is Major League Cricket (MLC)?
Major League Cricket is the premier franchise T20 competition in the United States. Organised by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) and sanctioned by USA Cricket, the league was officially launched in 2023.
MI New York are currently the most successful team in the competition, having won two titles (2023 and 2025), while Washington Freedom lifted the trophy in 2024.
When does MLC 2026 start?
The fourth season of Major League Cricket will run from June 18 to July 18 (June 19 to July 19 in India). A total of 34 matches will be played, including:
- 30 league-stage matches
- Qualifier 1
- Eliminator
- Challenger
- Final
MLC 2026 Teams
The tournament will once again feature six franchises:
- Los Angeles Knight Riders
- MI New York
- San Francisco Unicorns
- Seattle Orcas
- Texas Super Kings
- Washington Freedom
MI New York enter the season as defending champions after beating Washington Freedom in the 2025 final.
MLC 2026 Venues
Three venues will host matches this season:
- Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas
- Oakland Coliseum, California
- Knight Riders Cricket Field, California
The Knight Riders Cricket Field is the newest addition and replaces Broward County Stadium in Florida.
The playoffs and final will be played at Oakland Coliseum.
IPL connection in MLC
Several MLC franchises share ownership links with IPL teams.
- Los Angeles Knight Riders – Kolkata Knight Riders
- MI New York – Mumbai Indians
- Texas Super Kings – Chennai Super Kings
- Seattle Orcas – GMR Group (Delhi Capitals co-owners)
MLC 2026 Format
The six teams will compete in a round-robin format across 30 league matches.
The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.
- Qualifier 1: 1st vs 2nd
- Eliminator: 3rd vs 4th
- Challenger: Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator
- Final: Winner of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Challenger
The MLC 2026 final will be played on July 18.
MLC 2026 Live Streaming and Telecast Details
Fans can watch the tournament live across multiple regions:
| Region | Live Streaming / Broadcast |
|---|---|
| India | JioHotstar |
| USA & Canada | Willow Sports |
| Australia | Seven Network |
MLC 2026 Squads
Los Angeles Knight Riders Squad
Alex Hales, Nitish Kumar, Colin Munro, Saif Badar, Karthik Gattepalli, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Matthew Tromp, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Unmukt Chand, Andre Fletcher, Jahmar Hamilton, Ali Khan, Carmi le Roux, Lloyd Pope and Kristopher Ramsaran.
MI New York Squad
Agni Chopra, Faisal Khan Ahmadzai, Corey Anderson, Kunwarjeet Singh, Kieron Pollard, Sunny Patel, Corbin Bosch, Romario Shepherd, Tajinder Dhillon, Quinton de Kock, Monank Patel, Nicholas Pooran, Ryan Rickelton, Trent Boult, AM Ghazanfar, Nosthush Kenjige, Tristan Luus and Rushil Ugarkar.
San Francisco Unicorns Squad
Finn Allen, Hammad Azam, Matthew Short (Captain), Aakarshit Gomel, Cooper Connolly, Aaron Hardie, Anirudh Immanuel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Juanoy Drysdale, Hassan Khan, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Oliver Peake, Saideep Ganesh, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Xavier Bartlett, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ilyas and Zia-ul-Haq.
Seattle Orcas Squad
Shimron Hetmyer, Sharad Lumba, Tim Robinson, Shayan Jahangir, Sujit Nayak, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Marcus Stoinis, Harmeet Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Tim Seifert, Rahul Jariwala, Ali Sheikh, Ottneil Baartman, Ayan Desai, Cameron Gannon, Jasdeep Singh, Lungi Ngidi and Tanveer Sangha.
Texas Super Kings Squad
Faf du Plessis (Captain), Saiteja Mukkamalla, Rilee Rossouw, Abhimanyu Lamba, Milind Kumar, Shubham Ranjane, Calvin Savage, Joshua Tromp, Mohammad Mohsin, Wiaan Mulder, Smit Patel, Donovan Ferreira, Amshi de Silva, Nandre Burger, Akeal Hosein, Keshav Maharaj, Adam Milne and Hardus Viljoen.
Washington Freedom Squad
Steven Smith (Captain), Mukhtar Ahmed, Mark Chapman, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Rachin Ravindra, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jack Edwards, Ian Holland, Marco Jansen, Obus Pienaar, Abhishek Paradkar, Andries Gous, Lahiru Milantha, Amila Aponso, Asif Mehmood, Ben Dwarshuis, Lockie Ferguson, Saurabh Netravalkar and Yasir Mohammad.
Major League Cricket (MLC) 2026 Schedule
| Match | Date | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jun 18 | Texas Super Kings vs Seattle Orcas | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 2 | Jun 19 | Los Angeles Knight Riders vs San Francisco Unicorns | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 3 | Jun 19 | Seattle Orcas vs Washington Freedom | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 4 | Jun 20 | Texas Super Kings vs San Francisco Unicorns | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 5 | Jun 20 | Washington Freedom vs MI New York | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 6 | Jun 21 | Seattle Orcas vs Los Angeles Knight Riders | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 7 | Jun 21 | Texas Super Kings vs MI New York | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 8 | Jun 24 | San Francisco Unicorns vs Texas Super Kings | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 9 | Jun 25 | Washington Freedom vs Seattle Orcas | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 10 | Jun 26 | MI New York vs Texas Super Kings | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 11 | Jun 26 | San Francisco Unicorns vs Seattle Orcas | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 12 | Jun 27 | MI New York vs Los Angeles Knight Riders | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 13 | Jun 27 | Washington Freedom vs Texas Super Kings | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 14 | Jun 28 | Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Seattle Orcas | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 15 | Jun 28 | San Francisco Unicorns vs Washington Freedom | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| 16 | Jul 1 | Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Washington Freedom | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 17 | Jul 2 | Seattle Orcas vs MI New York | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 18 | Jul 3 | Los Angeles Knight Riders vs Texas Super Kings | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 19 | Jul 4 | Washington Freedom vs San Francisco Unicorns | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 20 | Jul 4 | Los Angeles Knight Riders vs MI New York | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 21 | Jul 5 | Seattle Orcas vs Texas Super Kings | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 22 | Jul 5 | San Francisco Unicorns vs MI New York | Knight Riders Cricket Field, Pomona |
| 23 | Jul 8 | MI New York vs San Francisco Unicorns | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 24 | Jul 9 | Washington Freedom vs Los Angeles Knight Riders | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 25 | Jul 10 | MI New York vs Seattle Orcas | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 26 | Jul 10 | San Francisco Unicorns vs Los Angeles Knight Riders | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 27 | Jul 11 | Texas Super Kings vs Washington Freedom | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 28 | Jul 11 | Seattle Orcas vs San Francisco Unicorns | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 29 | Jul 12 | MI New York vs Washington Freedom | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| 30 | Jul 12 | Texas Super Kings vs Los Angeles Knight Riders | Grand Prairie Stadium, Dallas |
| Q1 | Jul 15 | Qualifier 1 (1st vs 2nd) | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| EL | Jul 15 | Eliminator (3rd vs 4th) | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| CH | Jul 16 | Challenger (Loser Q1 vs Winner Eliminator) | Oakland Coliseum, California |
| Final | Jul 18 | Final | Oakland Coliseum, California |
Note: League stage matches will start at 2:00 AM IST (day game) and 6:00 AM IST (night game). All knockout games will start at 7:00 AM IST, barring Qualifier 1 (3:00 AM IST)
